Keep in Line…Keep in Shape!

“It takes a child one year to acquire independent movement and ten years to acquire independent mobility. An old person can lose both in a day.” Bernard Isaacs

In this newsletter and others following over the rest of the year, I will be providing some facts to help you understand more about some of your physical problems related to maintaining functional abilities. It is related to good body control and what can be done to improve/ reverse some of the issues that may be a problem.

Let’s face it, all of us are getting older and we are probably not doing things quite as well as when we were younger. The first step towards maintaining a quality life is accepting that aging is a natural process and then finding out what to do to keep going! We know movement is important and necessary for everyone no matter the age and ability. So, let’s keep learning the ways to maintain all the activities we enjoy and can still do for as long as possible.

 Question: When choosing your exercise regime what do you need to do and what are you hoping to achieve?

• Improving or managing a health state or fitness level
• As a means of protection to reduce risks and a maintain the status quo
• To prevent further movement limitations and deterioration of health states

So, Are You in The Best Shape You Can Be?

It is important to keep the body in good alignment. Muscular imbalances can happen when body parts are misaligned and then the body reacts by overcompensating in other areas to protect the weak or injured area. Being in proper alignment means the body is positioned well and puts the least amount of stress and strain on muscles, tendons, ligaments and joints.

One major barrier is the physical limitations that are associated with reduced functional mobility. With ageing there is generally a decrease in strength and joint stiffness resulting in smaller ranges of movements and flexibility of the body. Poor postural alignment and muscle Imbalances can occur also because of these changes. Arthritic problems can certainly impact on joint/body alignment, resulting in less effective and inefficient movement patterns. Joints may change shape, the muscles and ligaments acting around the joints cannot provide the support well, thus becoming they become less stable. With these changes the movement is less effective which in turn can compromise postural control, walking and balance.

Your body needs to be strong yet supple and flexible to maintain overall alignment. A strong core will provide a good base for this. Doing a few relevant exercises on a regular basis that strengthen and build the core can go a long way toward helping maintain or regain proper body alignment.